Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has undergone successful appendectomy surgery after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis. During Milan’s training camp in Napoli, the England international experienced severe abdominal pain, leading to his hospitalisation for further examination. Following tests, the diagnosis was confirmed, and the operation proceeded successfully. Further details on his recovery have not been disclosed.
In Serie A action, Napoli secured a 2-1 victory over Milan, moving within three points of league leaders Inter. Napoli, who had managed just one win in their previous seven league matches, now have 64 points, sitting six points ahead of third-placed Atalanta. Matteo Politano opened the scoring just 63 seconds into the match, capitalizing on poor Milan defending to send a powerful long-range shot into the bottom corner. Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead in the 19th minute after intercepting a pass and finishing from close range. Milan had an opportunity to reduce the deficit in the 69th minute, but Santiago Giménez’s penalty was saved by Alex Meret after a foul by Philip Billing on Theo Hernández. Luka Jovic managed to score for Milan six minutes before full-time, but the defeat left them ninth in the standings with 47 points, increasing pressure on coach Sérgio Conceição as they remain nine points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots.
Inter continued their push at the top with a 2-1 home win against Udinese. Goals from Marko Arnautovic and Davide Frattesi in the first half secured the victory, while goalkeeper Yann Sommer made crucial saves to preserve the lead. Arnautovic opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a first-time effort, while Frattesi doubled the advantage before the half-hour mark, both benefiting from assists by Federico Dimarco. Udinese responded in the 71st minute through a long-range goal by Oumar Solet, but Sommer’s late saves ensured Inter’s win.
Fiorentina’s Moise Kean scored an impressive first-half solo goal to give his side a 1-0 home victory over Atalanta, dealing a blow to their title hopes. The Italy striker found the net just before the break after a brilliant run and low shot past Marco Carnesecchi. Atalanta, who had previously lost 2-0 at home to Inter before the international break, remain third with 58 points.
In Spain, Barcelona claimed a dominant 4-1 victory over Girona in their Catalan derby, moving three points clear at the top of La Liga. Lamine Yamal’s free-kick deflected off Girona’s Ladislav Krejci for an own goal just before halftime, but Arnaut Danjuma equalized early in the second half. Robert Lewandowski then restored Barcelona’s lead with an acrobatic finish after the hour mark before scoring again on a counterattack, netting his 25th goal of the season. Ferran Torres completed the rout late in the game as Barcelona avenged last season’s 4-2 defeat in the same fixture, moving to 66 points after 29 games, ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Girona remain in 13th place.
In the Seville derby, Real Betis defeated Sevilla 2-1. Rubén Vargas put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute before Johnny Cardoso equalized soon after. Cucho Hernández scored the winner for Betis in first-half stoppage time, keeping them in sixth place with 47 points, while Sevilla sit 11th.
Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways with a 3-1 home victory over Mainz, earning their first win in three league matches. Maximilian Beier was instrumental, scoring twice to help Dortmund remain in contention for a Champions League spot with seven Bundesliga matches left. Beier tapped in from a Karim Adeyemi cutback in the 39th minute, and Emre Can headed in three minutes later from a corner. Beier sealed the win with a 72nd-minute header. Mainz, currently in fourth place with 45 points, managed a consolation goal through Paul Nebel.
